Online Degree Programs by Subjects

Getting an Online Information Management Degree

The demand for IT professionals in the healthcare sector has increased tremendously due to electronic recordkeeping and patient privacy mandates. This has lead to a specialization course; the Health Information Management master degree which focuses on healthcare directed course work on information systems, databases, system security, data analysis, decision support, and strategic management. Health Information Management Specialists will work with healthcare professionals like doctors, nurses and other medical practitioners. They can work in a variety of healthcare environments like hospitals, medical practices, home nursing, home healthcare, outpatient clinics or with insurance companies. The U.S. Department of Labor predicts that employment in the Health Information Management field is expected to grow twice as fast as the average for all occupations in future years.

The curriculum for this course has been adopted from the model curriculum of the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) and adheres to the criteria set by the Commission on Accreditation for Health Information and Information Management (CAHIIM). The curriculum for this course is designed to help students use information management and security effectively for health care delivery and management. Those opting for this course are usually IT professionals pursuing health information management or consulting positions in hospitals, clinics, and health care systems. After completion of the course, registered Health Information Technician (RHIT) professionals can advance to a Registered Health Information Administrator (RHIA) through online degree programs.

Online Bachelor of Science in Health Information Management

Students with an Associate of Applied Science in Health Information Technology degree can continue to the Bachelor of Science in Health Information Management program. Those with a Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management Education (CAHIIM)-approved Associate of Applied Science in Health Information Technology program can also opt for an online Bachelor degree.

An online bachelor degree in the field enables students to pursue career advancements and trains them in skills needed for adaptability and problem solving in order to support operations, management, and strategic initiatives within the health information field.

The curriculum for an online Bachelors degree in information management focuses on:

  • Planning, designing, managing, and evaluating electronic information systems
  • Application of research methods as well as critical thinking skills for solving healthcare issues
  • Using best practices in decision making regarding effective management of health information
  • Being aware of the basic supervisory and legal aspects of health information as well as the professional, ethical and legal standards of health information management as well as professional behaviors and problem solving
  • Effectively using established methods for finding, evaluating, and using resources